Do I need new Airports?

I have a wireless network that is supported by two older Airport Expresses('07 models). If I buy a new iMac, do I need new Airports? Will they make everything much faster? I have been advised by some to keep the old ones until they fail? What do you think?

Upgrading the routers is only going to make things faster between the newer devices that support the faster network features.  So as long as you still have a number of older devices, much or most of your intranet traffic will be the same anyway, as those devices become the limiting factor.
And at 802.11n speeds (or often even g speeds) for internet access, your ISP connection is the limiting factor, so there is no gain there with newer hardware.
So I would say wait and buy when you really need to or when you are really in a position to benefit from upgrading.  Might as well get the most out of what you already have.

Similar Messages

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    i own an imac 2011 running osx 10.6.8. I want to buy the new airport extreme but it says in the system requirements that it needs osx lion 10.7.5 or later. would it work with my older osx 10.6.8?

    In order to set up and install the new AirPort Extreme:
    Setup and Administration
    iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5 or later and AirPort Utility 1.3
    Mac with OS X Lion v10.7.5 or later and AirPort Utility 6.3
    would it work with my older osx 10.6.8?
    Yes, if you set up the new AirPort Extreme using the guidelines above. The 10.6.8 Mac will be able to connect to the AirPort Extreme, but it will not be able to make any configuration changes.
    Only the devices listed above can be used to set up and make any changes to the new AirPort.

  • For the new airport extreme what type of cable do I need to connect to my cable modem. Is Cat5 OK or will that bottle neck things?

    For the new airport extreme what type of cable do I need to connect to my cable modem. Is Cat5 OK or will that bottle neck things?

    Assuming that your cable modem has Gigabit Ethernet ports (possible, but it probably does not) Cat 5e or Cct 6 would do the job that you need.
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  • Do I need to get all new hardware to enjoy benefits of New Airport Extreme 802.11ac protocol?

    Do I need to get all new hardware to enjoy the benefits of new Airport Extreme 802.11ac protocol?

    You will need hardware capable of using 802.11ac, which at present is limited to the new MacBook Air models.

  • Lots of existing threads, but no consistent answer - what settings need to be applied to the 2012 (new) Airport Express for it to work at hotels with an ethernet only connection?  Any answers specific to Japan would be helpful.

    Lots of existing threads, but no consistent answer - what settings need to be applied to the 2012 (new) Airport Express for it to work at hotels with an ethernet only connection?  Any answers specific to Japan would be helpful.  I would prefer not to take my old Dell laptop and just be able to use my Ipad 2 via the wireless connection that the Airport Express creates.  However, I can configure the Airport Express at home prior to leaving if that is the best thing to do.

    I have a very similar problem with my AE! My MacBook, MacBook Pro & iPod Touch (1st Generation) all get a GREAT signal from our AE. BUT, our iPod Touch (2nd Generation) and new iPad (WiFi) get terrible signal strength unless we're right next to the AE!! Tech support at Apple is of no help! I'm ready to sell them all! This all started when we got the last OS update for iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad. So it must be a software issue not a hardware one..
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  • I have just purchased and installed a new Airport extreme base station but now the Airport Utility cannot see my old Airport Express. Are their compatibility issues and do I need to purchase a new Express?

    I have just purchased and installed a new Airport extreme base station but now the Airport Utility cannot see my old Airport Express. Are their compatibility issues and do I need to purchase a new Express?

    When you can, take a look at the old AirPort Express and locate the model number in the faint print on the side of the device.
    If you see A1084 or A1088, this is an older Express version that is no longer supported by the current version of AirPort Utility that you are using with the new AirPort Extreme.
    If that is the case, your Express is at least 6 years old...probably older...so it is about time to treat yourself to a new version with much faster speeds and more features.

  • Will my MacBook Pro '11 support the software needed for my new AirPort Time Capsule?

    I've got a MacBook Pro '11, OS X 10.6.8 and am trying to back up my photo library to a new AirPort Time Capsule 2TB.
    When trying to set it up in AirPort Utility, I am getting the warning "This version of AirPort Utility doesn't support this AirPort wireless device and might improperly configure the device if you continue to use it. Check www.apple.com/support/airport for the latest version of AirPort Utility."
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    2.  Will the latest version work with OS X 10.6.8?
    Thanks for any help you can offer.

    Yes. The latest version will be installed when you upgrade to Yosemite.
    Upgrading to Yosemite
    You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.
    Upgrading to Yosemite
    To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Download Yosemite from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Yosemite is free. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
        OS X Mavericks/Yosemite - System Requirements
          Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Yosemite
             1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
             2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
             3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
             5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
    To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
         Are my applications compatible?
             See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

  • New Airport Extreme802.11n &Very Odd Network&Computer Issues

    Hi,
    We Replaced a D-Link DGL4300 802.11G and a Airport Express M9470LL/A with the most current Airport Extreme Base Station 802.11N 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz Dual Band and a Airport Express 802.11N (to use with a Shared USB HP1022 Laser Jet Printer. I have contacted Apple Tech Support once regarding setup and mentioned this other ? strange issue(s)
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    3) eMac 1.25 Ghz 1.0gb ram and a Airport Extreme 802.11bWireless Card* all running OSX Panther 10.3.9 *and each with 802.11B wireless cards 4) Macbook Pro bought Dec 2009 running Snow Leopard 4gb ram and 250gb HDand 802.11n wireless card 5) HP Tower xw4550 running Win XP Pro SP3 4gb ram 500GB HD and a 802.11G wireless card 6) Dell Mini Net Book running Win XP Home SP3 1ghz 1gb ram 150 GB HD and a
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    At first tried setting up the Airport Extreme with the Dell Mini as it met specs and (as of Yesterday) the Mac Book Pro is with one of our children at college but was able to set up setting up the Airport Utility and Hardware for both Peripheral Devices with the Mac Book Pro.
    Then things got odd. All the computers were online (as well as two wireless "Live" capable gaming systems XBox360 and Sony PS3 , I did not check my eMac until the next day
    and when I woke it from sleep (or started it) I got "You need to restart your computer"
    ? Kernel Panic , I ran Disk Utility, Tech Tool Deluxe, Apple Hardware Test and even Applejack. no change and while permissions were repaired Tech Tool Deluxe and The Apple Hardware Test showed no faults with anything, Tried PRAM. restart etc, then we had the other eMac 1.0ghz which has been unused since the Mac Book Pro arrived as a gift, Plugged it in , started it up, and got online, no black screen, even checked and responded to email, then restarted the (2nd eMac 1.0ghz) and the "You need to restart your computer screen came up!) once seems oh maybe, possibly its crashed, or dying out
    but two side by side, No Way! , so we then isolated electrical outlets, to the extent with a 100 foot extension cord outside on our back breezeway, same thing. We even went and bought a new battery and tried it in both , no change, * Was able to shut off the airport card in safe mode, restarted and it functioned as a normal computer with airport extreme card off
    *same with the 1.0ghz emac airport card off and restart and functions as a computer but no online access. We then moved one close to the Airport Extreme and hooked up by ethernet and changed the settings and Bingo no Kernel Panic Like screen and can get online, tried the other same thing! So currently the two eMacs sit side by side and we bought a long ethernet cord and it works on the table where it originally was,
    I did mention this to the Apple Technician that called from Apple regarding a setup issue (as have 90 days telephone support) and he said *That there have been reports of where there are with a Guest Network (we had one set up and He had us remove it as He asked if we really needed it and I said no AND also with networks with computers with wireless cards 802.11b
    and 802.11g computers on a network with the802.11n computers and a 802.11n Airport Extreme, he could not explain it any further, he suggested a possible 3rd party software incompatibilty : recent download (but have not done any on the 1.25ghz eMac and the 1.0ghz has been shut
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    and in the past week now (could be our ISP) our Internet connection has dropped off 4 times usually for 30-45 minutes but Friday 8-20-10 it was over 3 hours (yet our Cable TV came in) I will contact our ISP who handles both the broadband about the outages
    and our cable TV has been fuzzy -grainy at times, I called Them Friday and their were no outages in our area (system wide) Now though (except with Win XP) that is our access to the Airport Extreme and Utility (it blinks orange off and on when the internet is down) the Airport Express has stayed green each time. I will contact Apple also as ?
    is it the Airport Extreme (but its intermittent) channels are set to automatically if thats helpful data rather than set to a specific channel, its fairly rural where we live
    I thought of buying Tiger but saw the extreme prices and I called Apple per a recent Apple Thread they did not have Tiger Retail(nor did I expect then to) but after discussing
    the Emacs they said why pay so much for Tiger (and a lot are used) they said and went over both eMacs specs and I checked in detail online and called them back as it was in a "card hold" and bought Leopard 10.5.6 (as min of 512 ram, DVD drive (have a combo -drive) and a Power PCG4 which both are and I am now getting unused (non System) data off the eMac and backing it up as well and its job will be to be able to access the Airport Utility (Apple OSX Leopard 10.5.6 was $129.00 plus tax free shipping and it arrived yesterday so if settings need changed can do that (with Win XP the Airport Utility
    was so different and after about 4 hours and no progress I stopped and switched to he Laptop the next day!
    Has anyone experienced anything like this, I read up on both peripherals before buying and called as well to the Apple Online Store to make sure we could 1) set it up and 2) all computers specs were met to be able to a)use the network for online use and b)as well as shared printing from any and all computers and they do meet the specifications
    * one last item , my Wife's Imac is also on via Ethernet, It asked for a WEP password and that was not a option in the Airport Utility set up ,only WPA-WPA2 Personal password-Security configuration
    so She is not on wirelessly (though I know She has been as in the past, Her Imac was on a desk in the foyer ) That may have been with the 802.11b Apple Airport white dome and not the D-Link 802.11G router of which we had a lot of configuration issues
    *I could be wrong and will read up on her specs via the Mac Tracker application or online
    Many Thanks, Its so odd I did not want to leave out data etc but its a *long post and I apologize for that, I hope some one can send some light on this. On a positive avoided buying a new computer!
    but makes no sense (at least to us)!
    ambienttales
    Imac 800mhz 874mb ram 17"LCD screen OSX 10.3.9 Airport Card
    eMac1.0ghz 1.0gb ram OSX 10.3.9 802.11b Airport Extreme Card
    eMac 1.25ghz 1.0 gb ram OSX 10.3.9 802.11b Airport Extreme Care
    Mac Book Pro Bought new Dec 2009 4gb ram 250GB HD OSX 10.6.x Snow Leopard 802.11n Wireless Card
    HP xw4550 Tower 4gb ram 500gb HD Win XP Pro SP3 802.11g wireless card
    Dell Mini Net book 1ghz 1GB ram 150GB HD Win XP Home SP3 802.11N wireless care
    HP 1022 Laser Jet Printer for shared network printing
    Airport Extreme 802.11n Dual Band 2.4ghz and 5.0 ghz
    Airport Express 802.11 (to use with HP Laser Jet Printer for shared network printing
    Motorola docsis 2 Surfboard Cable Modem SB5101

    I too have a MacBook Pro (running OS X 10.6.6) and a PowerBook G4 (1.67 GHz, OS X 10.4.11) and an AirPort Extreme 802.11n. I configured the new AirPort Extreme Base Station N last week using the MacBook Pro and the PowerBook can no longer operate with AirPort on (Restart Computer message). A rep at the Genius Bar indicated that WPA2 encryption might interfere with the G4?? He recommended setting up WEP encryption, this is no longer an option using the AirPort setup assistant.
    It would be very helpful to know how this original post was resolved. The G4 SHOULD be able to work with the AirPort Extreme 802.11n in theory, right??

  • Help setting up Open DNS with new airport extreme

    I cant seem to get Open DNS to work with a new airport extreme. The status says I am not using Open DNS and its not filtering anything. I have followed the exact steps for set up listed on their website, checked the dns settings, cleared both caches and restarted the computer, modem and router with no success. I set the airport up in bridged mode, although I tried the other option under setup, but not sure what I was doing? I picked up this router because I wanted easy set up and the apple store assured me it would work with Open DNS. Oh, and I also downloaded the latest firmware update on the router. Can anyone help me with the settings or what else I need to check?

    Sorry, I am not familiar with this product, so I checked online to pick up some information.  Here I am referring to the information found here:
    http://www.dslreports.com/faq/6096
    I found that your device is mentioned as follows in the intro under Section 1 of this document:
    The BellSouth supplied Westell 2100, 2200 and 6100 models (Models A90-210030-04, B90-220030-04, and B90-610030-06/C90-610030-06, respectively) share many features and functions.
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    So, an attached router (AirPort Extreme) must be configured as a switch to work correctly. That is what Bridge Mode is....the AirPort Extreme is operating as a switch when it is in Bridge Mode (which would be the correct setting to use when the Westell is set to its Standard Default Mode).
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    In Bridge Mode, the AirPort Extreme simply passes that information through to its connected devices. You will not be able to make any DNS related changes on the AirPort Extreme since it receives that info from the Westel device. Some service providers force you to use their DNS servers, so you might want to check with Bell South or AT&T for more information in this regard.
    If you want to be able to configure the AirPort Extreme as the main router on your network, and instruct it to use the DNS information that you want, you will need to refer to the section under the heading of Bridged Ethernet Mode ( separate router present).
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    So, it appears to me that this would be the way that you must reconfigure the Westell device to allow the AirPort Extreme to function as the "main" router on your network. In this type of setup, you will be able to enter the DNS information that you want to use under the setup for the AirPort Extreme and it will act as you instruct.
    The AirPort Extreme would not be configured in Bridge Mode for this....it would be configured to "Share a public IP address".
    The next item in the article specifies that you "Must use a PPPoE client on the Router." This means that the AirPort Extreme would be configured to Connect Using = PPPoE as follows:
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    Click the Internet icon
    Click the Internet Connection tab
    Connect Using = PPPoE
    You would enter your user name (probably your email address), password, etc in this area. Leave the Service Area box completely blank. Set Connection to Always On, and Disconnect if Idle to Never
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    I want to stress that this is how I would try to configure the Westell and AirPort Extreme. But, as I said, have not used a Westell device, so I cannot say that this will work correctly for you.
    It might be an excellent idea to contact Bell South or AT&T Support to ask for their opinion on this before you decide to change the configuration of the Westel device and the AirPort Extreme.
    This type of thing can be intimidating for users, so you might elect to use the services of someone like the Geek Squad at Best Buy, or a similar service from a local computer firm. Perhaps the Apple store could help as well.
    If it is not critical that you use Open DNS, you might want to simply leave things "as is", with the AirPort Extreme in Bridge Mode.

  • How to connect old aiport express to my new Airport Extreme? My Ipad says "base station e5713b cannot be configured" and my AirPort tool on my PC will not permit me to add my new Airport Extreme network (no network names to choose from)

    How to connect old aiport express to my new Airport Extreme?
    I have a PC running with Win7 and just replaced my Jensen With a brand New Airport Extreme.
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    Hi
    Thanks for Swift reply.
    Yep - I in fact have two A1088 and one A1264
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    Regards
    Sigve

  • How to set-up new Airport Express to extend range of Airport Extreme

    Purchased a new Airport Express to use it as a range extender on existing home network with an operating Airport Extreme base station. While I've read instructions, I'm unclear whether the Express needs to be connected by ethernet cable for its initial setup, or can I simply plug it and initialize it wirelessly onto the same household network? (I've tried the latter but without success).

    to edex67 and Bob Timmons:
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  • I want to know if Ican connect a print server (to print with several wireless printers) to the new airport express given that it has wan and lan ports. Tks!

    The print server that I want to connect allows me to choose among 2 usb printers and 01 serail port printer. It needs to be connected to a router through a lan port. Given that the all new airport express now come with a wan and a lan port, i want to know if I can connect this device to the airport express.

    You're welcome.
    Beware that while USB print servers are commonly available and inexpensive, finding one with a serial port is more of a challenge. Apple Stores in the US do not sell them. Call the iStore before going there.
    If you need recommendations for obtaining a print server with a serial port, let me know.

  • New Airport Express is not discoverable by Airport Utility

    Hello,
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    Bob Timmons wrote:
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  • New Airport Extreme, new problems.

    Hi all. I have just purchased and installed a new airport extreme and am having some issues with it already. Last night during install, When it got to the end of the setup process, the computer screen said that the Airport extreme was to restart. Well, that seemed to take forever, and then the airport that was visable from the Airport utility disappeared. The Green light on the unit was on, indicating no problems, but I was not able to access the internet. I played with it for a while, and tried resetting and going through the set up 2 more times, with the same result. I had given up and was going to contact apple in the morning when suddenly my Ipad received a message from my friend who had sent the message about an hour before. I assumed that the internet was now working, which I confirmed with my Ipad and my Imac. All seemed ok. I even downloaded the Airport app for my I pad and could see the device from the screen.
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    Sorry for all the questions. If This thing is not going to co-operate, it will be returned to the store. I normally love Apples products, but this one has me scratching my head in doubt.

    First you can block the SSID, you need to go into Airport Utility and click on wireless then click the wireless network options and make sure the Create a closed network is selected.  Regarding the iOS Airport Utility that could have sometimes.  On your printer the Airport Extreme has a USB connector that you can connect a printer to it.  It you want to add the printer to the network wirelessly then you may need to go in to you printer setup. 

  • New AirPort Extreme Problems

    Hello,
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    3)
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    The Windows AirPort Utility isn't constantly scanning for you network. Once it sees the network, it keeps it listed until you click the rescan button. If you were to click the rescan button when the network was not seen by your wireless card, I bet it would not show it then either. On the other hand, Windows itself is constant doing background scans. I've noticed with Windows, in general, networks come and go and you get those idiotic bubbles telling you so.

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